Topcon involved in F1 track resurface

Formula One’s Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi has undergone changes to several of the racetrack’s turns — a resurfacing project was undertaken with the help of the latest paving technology from Topcon Positioning Group.

Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi (Photo: Topcon)

Construction firm Colas was contracted to resurface the circuit and used Topcon’s technology for the milling, resurfacing and track creation process.

Throughout the project, Colas says that they utilised a wide range of Topcon technology, including its SmoothRide workflow, Pocket3D technology, total stations and HiPer VR Global Navigation Satellite System. The combination of technology is said to have provided the milling and paving machines with the accurate data models needed to realise the track.

Mouad Moubine, operations manager at Colas, said, “This meant work could commence swiftly and to the specification needed. Using more traditional methods can mean issues are left undiscovered or uneven sections are simply paved over with a constant thickness, exacerbating the uneven track.

“But with Topcon’s SmoothRide workflow, the data collected by the 3D scans was turned into a model of the circuit, which could be compared against a model of the desired end result to determine exactly what needed to be done in the following stages.”